Singing my Song
by ImaXXeatXXyeh
Summary: "It's not a concept if I want to go or not; you should know the answer to that. I see something now that I didn't in the beginning, and that's that life and death are not all that different. Both represent being reborn to something new, Would I change things in the past if I could? Would you? Would anyone? Believe in me and maybe, just maybe, I'll come back alive." LxOC
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

"Light Yagami," Seiko repeated quietly, squinting at the computer screen in the dark. When she glanced towards Lawliet sitting beside her, her vision was temporarily obscured from the brightness of the screen. "This is him?"

"Seventeen years of age, top grades, possibly the best student in Japan," Lawliet said softly, his knees propped up on his chair and placing his finger on his lip. He glanced towards Seiko. "You'll be meeting him tomorrow."

Seiko didn't say anything for a moment. Lawliet's black eyes switched back onto the screen again.

"Lawliet . . ." she started slowly.

"Please, you have to call me Ryuzaki while on this case," he said without looking at her. He picked up his fork and stabbed his strawberry cake with it lightly and plopped the piece into his mouth and chewed softly. He held the saucer of cake towards her. "You should really eat something; you haven't been looking well lately."

Seiko glanced from the cake to him before shaking her head lightly. His eyes met hers.

"You're worried about something," he noted. Seiko tried not to smile. Lawliet knew her too well.

"No," she lied. But being Lawliet, he saw through it.

"Are you concerned if Light is actually Kira and he'll kill you if he ever found out that you're a detective on the Kira case? If that's the case you know you will be undergoing a fake name?"

Seiko couldn't help but laugh; he couldn't help but be incredibly blunt.

"No, Lawl—Ryuzaki," she said quietly, her smile fading. "It's not _me _I'm worried about."

Lawliet watched her for a few more moments before turning towards the computer again.

"We've already discussed this subject. I told you that it will be entirely possible for either of us to die on this case. I said that back in France."

"I know but . . ." Seiko couldn't find the right words. She looked up at the dark ceiling instead. At times she couldn't stand how Lawliet acted; stubborn and impossible to reason with. But on the most part, she loved him.

"Fine," she said irritably. "Fine. Let's focus on Light now. Last name Yagami, like Chief Yagami?"

"I'm aware of the situation," Lawliet muttered, taking another bite of cake. "Sochiro informed me that he would allow us to take the procedures to see if his son is indeed Kira. Of course, there is still only a five percent chance that this assumption is true."

Seiko looked at the school photo of Light. He seemed normal enough, but she knew all too well that a photo told very little about a person. Her eyebrows pushed together slightly before looking at Lawliet again whose gaze locked with hers.

"You really should eat something, Seiko," he said, nudging the cake towards her on the table in front of them. "You're pale."

"Speak for yourself," Seiko snorted. "When do you ever sleep?"

"If I slept then the killings will likely be much more frequent and less prevented in the future. There's no time for sleep. "

They looked at each other for a few more moments.

"Fine," she sighed after a while. "I'll eat if you sleep." She got up, stretched, then turned to Lawliet. "I'm going to bed. I don't have the stamina that you do," she added in playful scorn.

"Sleep well," he said, glancing at her once more before she left the room. "Oh, and Seiko?" he said as she reached the door.

"Hm?" she said, one hand on the handle and glancing over her shoulder.

"When you investigate on Light tomorrow—be careful."

.

**(A/N: Hey, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed so far. Keep in mind that this is only the prologue so the incoming chapters are going to be much longer. Reviews would help me update faster since they are great motivation! Hope you enjoyed!)**


	2. First Meeting

**1**

**First Meeting**

He was tall with a mane of light brown hair and matching eyes. He held a stance that suggested he was separate from the rest of the groups and held his own prominent bearing. Seiko was intrigued immediately by the first sight of Light Yagami. Even at his slightly independent placing, he wasn't crude or shut off. Somehow, this made Seiko slightly more convinced that Light could be Kira; It seemed to her that the silent ones were the more dangerous.

Seiko turned to a trophy display window and readjusted a few of her stray dark hairs in her faint reflection. She was glad she was short for her age; it meant she could look more of the school girl part. She already had her approach prepared for when she met Light; she would appear to be the innocent, but not stupid, slightly sassy new student. She was going by the name Atsuko Hamasaki and she had just transferred from a girl's boarding school in France. Seiko had thought of the story with the help of L. She was glad she could help more with the Kira case rather than just looking into clues, but it still perturbed her slightly that she could have been staring at a killer.

She watched Light for a bit longer from the distance, observing his movements and facial expressions. He seemed a quiet, charming, handsome school boy, and didn't seem in the least bit like a murderer.

It wasn't hard approaching him seeing as he didn't seem to travel in big groups like many of the other students. She pampered her hair a bit more, straightened her skirt, then walked forward, eyes directly meeting Light's caramel shaded gaze. She moved with a slight bounce in each step she took. Light studied her as she came up to him.

"Hi," she said with a small smile. "My name is Atsuko Hamasaki. I'm a new student. Are you a senior here?"

"Yes," he said immediately, observing Seiko with some curiosity. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Yes, actually," she said. "I only registered here yesterday, and unfortunately have never stepped on this campus until today. Can you help me get to Mr. Tayazaki's classroom?"

He watched her for a few more moments before smiling kindly. "Of course. I'm Light Yagami. Unfortunately his class is all the way on the other side of campus."

"Oh," Seiko pouted. She of course, knew this.

"I can take you there, if you want," he offered. Seiko's face lit up.

"Could you? You'd be a real life saver." So far, so good.

"No problem. I have a free period until nine."

They began walking down the hallway together. Seiko held her books tightly to her chest to make Light assume she was slightly nervous. It seemed to have worked.

"You don't have to be too worried around here," he said kindly. "The people here are generally nice. Where did you say you were from again?"

"Originally, I'm from Tokyo. But for my junior year I moved to Amiens for a girl's school. But after a while, I decided it wasn't for me and decided to finish up my high school career in Japan," Seiko explained confidently.

"If I may ask, why wasn't it right for you? Did you miss your parents or something?"

"My parents are dead."

Light turned to face her, and then looked ahead again. "I'm sorry," he said, obviously embarrassed.

"No, it's okay," she assured him with a small waved of her hand. She was smiling, but it was a small, slightly sad smile. "Anyway, I left because, even though France was beautiful and intriguing, I missed Japan and its culture."

Light looked at her sideways as they continued to walk on.

"Yeah, I think I can understand," he said finally. "So who do you live with, or do you live on your own? If it's okay for me to ask."

"I lived with my aunt and uncle for a while, but only recently did I rent a place of my own. It's not my ideal living situation, but I have a part time job. It can get hard but overall, I'm pretty well off."

This proved to have the impression upon Light that Seiko hoped it would. He was impressed and slightly touched by this story. She could tell by his double take towards her and the way his eyes widened only slightly. But he didn't comment.

"What about you? What do your parents do?" she asked casually.

"My father is a chief in the law enforcement, and my mother is a normal housewife."

"Law enforcement?" Seiko asked curiously. "I've actually been thinking about majoring in that when I get into college."

Light looked at her in surprise. "Really?"

She arched an eyebrow. "Why? Do I not seem smart enough?"

Light was taken aback. "You just—don't really seem the type."

Seiko laughed. "I'm teasing you, Light. I know I don't really seem that likely to ever want to be an investigator or anything, but it's the only thing I've ever really been interested in. I think my mother and father were actually private investigators before me, so it's in my blood. What about you?"

He shifted a small smile in her direction. Seiko really did find him handsome. But what struck her odd was that Light seemed to be the polar opposite of Lawliet. Physically at least. Light was open, charming, and friendly, whilst Lawliet was slightly closed off and—well let's face—a little bit more in the 'mad genius' category.

"I'll most likely get into law enforcement myself. I've actually even helped my father in the past with some of his cases."

Seiko widened her eyes slightly. "Really? Like what?"

He laughed at her expression. Seiko liked the sound.

"Nothing too big, and I didn't get involved with too much. Basically just analyzing some left behind clues for, oh say, a robbery. Nothing like a murder case or anything."

Seiko glanced at him on the word 'murder'. He was continuing to smile down at her, which she forced herself to return.

"Anyway, this is your class," he said abruptly as they stopped walking right in front of a door that had a sign labeled 'Mr. Tayazaki' on the front of it.

"Thank you," Seiko said gratefully, bowing her head slightly in Light's direction. She gave him another smile. "It was really nice to meet you, Light. I hope I'll see you again soon."

He returned the smile kindly.

"Yeah. So do I."

.

Seiko was looking out of the hotel window that overlooked many stories. Her knees were crossed and she was tracing the outline of her lip with her pinky finger.

"It's a good start," said L, walking in while happily eating out of a box of pocky. "You've started up a friendly relationship with him. While you're watching him at school we can take a closer look at the surveillance cameras set up in his home. Come on."

He motioned for Seiko to follow him. She got to her feet and followed behind L with her hands in her jean pockets. He led her into the dark back room where only Mr. Yagami resided in. The only light source was from several large TV screens set up by the wall. L walked up to the chair sitting beside Yagami and sat himself down in his usual position with his feet propped on the seat of the chair.

Seiko walked to stand beside him. L glanced at her before looking back at the screen. She was watching Light sit in his bedroom reading a magazine. Seiko's face filled with the smallest amount of color when she realized what _kind _of magazine it was. Light was reading a magazine that consisted of half naked women.

She glanced at L to see if he had a reaction to this. Her heart thudded slightly when his gaze locked with hers and she quickly looked away.

"I can't believe my own son would read such filth," Soichiro said in a disgusted voice.

"It's normal for boys at age seventeen to usually read these kinds of things," murmured L with a side glance towards Yagami.

"Did you?" Seiko giggled. He looked at her, gave her a shadow of a smile, then looked back at the screen.

"The title is so deceiving," Light muttered, getting to his feet and stretching. He placed the magazine in a hidden space in his bookshelf before standing up again. He walked over to his desk and pulled out a small black notebook and began writing in it, evidently studying.

Seiko sat herself down in the chair beside L and continued to watch the back of Light for a while. They sat in silence for a while. Seiko wondered if Light had any possible incline if there were people watching him now. Probably not since he brought those books out. Or, was he just _that _smart?

"Ryuzaki?" Seiko said slowly.

"Mm?"

Seiko hesitated, thinking over her words carefully. "I think I should try and go to Light's house to try and get more information. The surveillance cameras can only see so much. Wouldn't it be better if we could actually search it—"

"That is out of the question," L said, interrupting her. His voice was still calm, but there was a certain firmer and sterner edge to his tone as his charcoal gaze locked with hers again. Seiko frowned at him, feeling a certain bubbly indignation rise in her. L wasn't usually this strict with her unless it involved her personal safety.

"Why not?" she demanded, her dark eyes flashing. "I'm not a complete damsel in distress, you know. And you _asked _me to investigate Light. I think I should be able to."

L placed his hands atop his knees, his black eyes looking through his tousled, ebony hair right into hers.

"While Light still remains a suspect, I'm afraid actually entering his home on your own is risking too much."

"Excuse me, Ryuzaki," intervened Soichiro with a sort of strangled politeness. "But you said there is only a _five percent _chance that my son is Kira. Do you really think Seiko's life will be in danger if she went to investigate in Light's room?"

L's eyes swiveled onto Soichiro.

"Five percent chance is still a chance, one that I'm not willing to make," he added, glancing at Seiko again. Seiko scowled at him.

"I can take care of myself, and Light doesn't even have my real name. So, theoretically, he can't touch me if he _were _Kira."

L went silent for a moment, twiddling his toes over the brim of his chair and placing his thumb on his lower lip and dragging it down slightly.

"No," he said finally. "If you're going to be secretly scrutinizing Light, you're going to do it as planned. And Light is no idiot. If you went through his room, it would not go unnoticed, and it would raise suspicion, which would be even more dire if he actually happened to be Kira. Then he would begin looking into your profile and he may find a connection between you and your detective work, which could reveal your real name, and we can't have that."

Seiko stared at L for a few long moments. There was just no arguing with him when his mind was made up. Yet Seiko wasn't the type to just let an argument pass her by when she had a chance to prove her point.

"You don't think I can take care of myself?" she said in a harsh whisper. "After all the things we've been through together? You know me better than anyone, Law—Ryuzaki, and that means you know I'm more than capable of taking on a high school student."

L sat up a little straighter. This proved to be an impending difference seeing as he was always in a hunched position. He cocked his head slightly as he studied Seiko's face.

"Yes, but we've never dealt with a killer that only needs a name and face to kill and control what the person would do and specifically _when _they die; it's too dangerous."

"And you should know me well enough to know that I'm willing to risk a lot to get to the bottom of a case!" she shot back.

"Perhaps, but _I'm_ not willing to take that risk," L said, a strong hint of growing irritation in his voice. They each stared at each other in suppressed anger. Soichiro was beginning to look awkward at being caught in the middle of the two detective's argument.

"You shouldn't tell me what risks I'm allowed to take," said Seiko at last. "I want to find Kira. I want to stop these killings. You should too. So you should let me get further into this case without acting as my personal watch dog. I'm just as capable as the next detective. Don't just assume me a pawn you can summon at will to use to your own desires."

L stared right back at her, his expression unchanging. Somehow, that infuriated Seiko. She threw her hands up in complete agitation and stormed out of the room with a fuming cloud following her out the door.

* * *

**(A/N: Hey all! Thanks for reading! Reviews would be amazing and are very motivational! I want to know your thoughts so far so don't be afraid to be honest! Thanks again!)**


	3. Forbidden Ground

**2**

**Forbidden Ground**

**L POV**

He couldn't help but feel annoyed. Although his eyes were grazing the screen that merely showed Light's back as he studied on his desk, his mind went with Seiko out of the door. She really acted so young and immature at times. And most of those times Lawliet couldn't find the strength to bear with it. What else did she assume he was going to say when she suggested going into a potential killer's 'domain'? Had she supposed that he heeded no personal interest in her safety at all? Perhaps that was the one area where Seiko didn't fully understand.

"Ice-cream, master Ryuzaki?" said Watari from nearby, offering him a mint flavored ice cream that had three scoops piled on top of the cone. L's eyes moved onto Watari who was smiling in a fatherly sort of way down at him. L reached forward and took the ice-cream, licking it several times and enjoying the sweet tangy taste on his tongue.

"Seiko will not remain angry with you, Ryuzaki," said Watari kindly, as if(as always)seeming to know what was on L's mind. L looked at him. "She never could. Not since what happened. That's the magic in your relationship. Be grateful for it."

Watari gave one last nod of the head before walking out of the room and allowing L to continue his observation of Light. But he couldn't concentrate on the Kira case now. Damn it all. Leave it to Seiko to make it him unable to focus on a crucial case. He was generally level headed and able to process through any irritation, but when it came to her . . .

He ate his ice-cream in thoughtful silence, placing his other hand on his right knee and twirling his rolling chair slightly.

Yes, generally Seiko was very forgiving with him since eleven years ago. But that was for different reasons. For all this time L had hoped Seiko's devotion towards him wasn't just the fact that she technically owed him. But he didn't like to think of it like that. He liked Seiko's company. He liked the fact that she held her own uniqueness compared to most girls around her age. Not that L would know, considering he didn't talk to many girls—or anyone really.

When it came down to it, Seiko was his first and only friend. And she wondered why he was so afraid to lose her.

.

**Seiko POV**

Seiko was dreaming. She lay in in her bed with the covers half covering her body and her hands curved slightly on either side of her. Her long waves of dark brown hair that was almost black cascaded around her slender shoulders. Her eyelids twitched slightly in her deep sleep, indicating a possible nightmare.

In the dream, she was facing a large, spotless window that overlooked a large and sparkling city that twinkled like stars in the night. There was a beige leather armchair in front of her in the fancy room. Its back was to her. She only saw the top of a head that had a patch of brown hair on it. On either side there was an arm. One held a burning cigarette and its red embers were plain in the darkened room. Every now and then the person would raise the cigarette to their mouth and a cloud of smoke could be seen blowing out from the chair.

The scene immediately struck a sudden bolt of fear within Seiko. She looked down at the other hand that was resting on the left arm rest of the chair. It held a leather belt, and then from nowhere, out of nothing, there was a snapping sound like a whip cracking. The sound made Seiko quiver and a sheet of cold sweat break out on the surface of her skin. This was unusual. Seiko was usually always brave and emotionally stable, let alone the fact that she barely cried.

But this scene sparked something in her, and she hated how easily it resorted her to a sniveling and weak girl again. She hated being vulnerable. In truth it was her greatest fear. That and being alone. That's how she was until eleven years ago.

Seiko's eyes fluttered open. It took her a couple of moments to realize that it was just a dream. That her father really wasn't here. She looked around and received another small surprise. Lawliet was sitting on the end of her bed and watching her steadily in his hunched position with his bare feet up on the bed. Seiko would have jumped and screeched if she didn't know him too well. She did give a little start and instinctively pulled the covers up to her chin as she sat up quickly.

"Lawliet!" she said angrily, taking her pillow and throwing it at his face. However this improved to have no impact on him whatsoever. "What are you _doing _in here?!"

"Do you know that you talk in your sleep when you have a nightmare?" he murmured.

"You're such a creep!"

"Believe it or not, I just walked in. I was going to wake you up when I saw you were having a nightmare, but then you already were awake."

"Right," she snorted. She met his dark gaze as he placed his finger on his lower lip again.

"What were you dreaming about?" he asked.

Seiko glanced out of the window where it showed it was still dark, most likely early morning. She looked back at him. She wouldn't have answered if it were anyone but Lawliet.

"Him," she said shortly. He watched her for a few more moments. He understood.

"Eleven years and he still haunts your dreams," he said slowly, studying her face thoughtfully. "Did you eat anything before going to bed?"

"No," she admitted.

"Going to bed on an empty stomach is probably one of the reasons you've been having nightmares," he said knowingly, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a chocolate bar and unwrapped it for her. He persisted it forward as if determined to hand-feed it to her.

"Lawliet," she muttered, half laughing. "Stop."

"Eat," he ordered. "You need to keep up your strength."

Seiko met his black gaze and realized she was fighting a losing battle. She sighed and took the bar of chocolate and took a generous bite out of it. Even if it was mainly sugar, it seemed to fill her up and she immediately felt a little better.

L watched her eat for a few moments as if suspicious she would throw it out the window if he didn't closely monitor her. After a while she set down the half eaten chocolate on her nightstand and curled her legs up against her chest and rested her chin on her knee, looking intently at L.

"He's really gone?" she whispered. She realized she sounded like a child and flushed slightly, glad it was dark so Lawliet couldn't see. He met her slightly pleading gaze steadily, taking his finger off his lip and placing his hands on his knees instead.

"Yes," he said shortly, but firmly. They looked at each other for a couple more minutes. It wasn't awkward; it never was. It was pure contented silence. And then finally, Seiko believed him. How could she not? She valued the littlest things that Lawliet ever said to her. She was almost angry that she could never _stay _angry with him for long. No, it wasn't hard as much as downright impossible.

"Lawliet—"

"I told you to call me Ryuzaki," he muttered quietly.

She gave him a small smile.

"Finish your chocolate," he said before she could say anything, reaching for the bar again.

"No," said Seiko, her smile growing slightly. "You're going to try something new."

L looked at her, confused. Seiko took him by the shoulders and forced him to lie down straight on his back.

"Now close your eyes," she ordered. He gave her a questioning look.

"Seiko, what—"

"Just do it."

He gave her another odd expression, but to her surprise, he complied. It was weird seeing him with his eyes closed like this. She couldn't even recall ever his eyelids closing over his coal-black eyes with his back actually straight. It was almost alien to her. And he seemed so—young. The way his black hair would dishevel over his closed eyes in an almost childish manner. He was making an odd expression, as if he had just tasted something that didn't appeal to his tastes.

"Seiko; I don't like this. It feels strange."

Seiko giggled.

"It's called sleeping."

"I don't like it," he repeated.

She continued to smile like an idiot down at his 'sleeping' pale face and wondered for perhaps about the thousandth time what goes through his head sometimes. There were a few more silent moments in which she sat on her knees in beside L, waiting for him to doze off. However, after under a minute Lawliet sat quickly up again and shifted himself off the bed.

"I'm going to see what Light is doing now," he murmured, scratching the back of his head and glancing over his shoulder to look at Seiko once more. "Eat something, then you should go back to bed."

Seiko was a little taken aback by this sudden dismissal but nodded instinctively. He turned and walked away, closing the door behind him. She couldn't help but feel a little more than a little disappointed by his sudden absence.

.

Seiko was sitting in her calculus class, her head resting on her hand and her knee bouncing up in down out of impatience as she watched the clock up on the wall tick away. This was the only part she hated about going under cover; she already knew the things the teachers were teaching and it caused her to go into a serious state of boredom for the most part of the day.

But also she was looking forward to talking to Light again. She would find him after the bell rang and try to see if it was in any way possible that he could be Kira. Seiko's personal opinion was—well, anyone is capable of being a killer. Anyone. It didn't matter how convincing their smile was or how normal they seemed.

Finally, at the same time the clock switched to four o'clock, the bell rang. Seiko was one of the first ones on her feet as she bolted out of the door. She hoped he would be alone when she found him.

In truth, she felt slightly odd going back to high school but it was to solve an important case, so it hardly mattered. Almost since the day eleven years ago Seiko joined up with L, she had helped with every single case he had ever had. This was a fact that Seiko held dear to her.

She found him. He was sitting on the each of the fountain in the school courtyard with one leg crossed over the other and glancing down into a black notebook. He quickly stashed it away as she approached him with a large smile.

"Atsuko," he greeted, getting to his feet and giving her a small, slightly forced smile. "How are your classes going?"

"Fine," she smiled. "What are your plans for the weekend?"

"Oh, um," he said distantly. Seiko noted that he seemed very detached. She frowned down into the backpack where he had just placed the black notebook. She met his eyes again. "Probably just studying. What about you?"

She shrugged. "About the same."

There was a pause. Well, this was going nowhere. How was Lawliet assuming that she could just get anything out of him just by talking to Light at school? There was nothing to go on!

"Atsuko?" said Light after a few moments.

"Hm?"

"Feel like coming over for dinner tonight? I know we haven't known each other for too long, but since we have trigonometry together, I thought we could go go over the homework assignment toight. You mentioned you were struggling with; maybe I can help you."

This had caught her completely off guard. Light was asking her to come over for dinner? No, this seemed too out of character for him. There must have been some reason behind it. Or, it was possible that he really was Kira and suspected her, so now he was trying to reel her in. Yes, something inside her told her that this was a trap. But if he _was _Kira_, _he couldn't do anything because he didn't know her real name. Right?

She watched him for a few more seconds. This was exactly Lawliet told her not to do. But how _else _would she get more info on Light Yagami? It had been a week at school together and she barely learned anything on him at all! What other choice did she have?

She smiled again.

"Sure."

* * *

**(A/N: Heya! Thanks for reading this far! It really means a lot when people enjoy my work! If you could, reviews would be wonderful and would help me know if you guys _are _actually enjoying it or not. If not, thanks for reading anyway haha)**


	4. The Enemy's Plan

**3**

**The Enemy's Plan**

**Light POV**

He knew something was wrong. She was too good to be true. He was smart to have looked into it. It was only the previous night he had hacked into the school's system and looked over the student listings and found no student under the name Atsuko Hamasaki. The fact that she was unregistered student and she had come right to talk to him immediately, told Light that she wasn't at all who she said she was. She had also been too ideal to him. She was smart, mature, and into the law enforcement. He was a fool to not look into it immediately.

So the only other conclusion was that she was a detective looking into him, most likely working for L. First he put the cameras in his room and now he tries to use a girl to investigate him. This also meant that their suspicions were higher.

So now the only thing he had to do was somehow get Atsuko's real name—and kill her.

"What's on your mind?" she asked as they were walking down the sidewalk. He looked up.

"Nothing," he said with a sly smile.

She gave him a look. "I highly doubt that's even possible."

He studied her for a minute, the way her waves of dark hair would sway to each side of her back with every step she took or how her eyes would seem to be always smiling even if she was investigating on him. She didn't seem to be the ideal detective in Light's eyes. And yet, he admitted to himself that he probably wouldn't have suspected her if he hadn't checked the school's student list.

She had to have a driver's license, or any form of ID with her that could reveal her real name. His eyes lingered for a moment on Atsuko's purse. If only he could find a moment to look through it . . .

He heard Ryuk snigger from nearby but ignored him. He wondered what was funny.

They approached Light's house.

"Nice house," she complimented as they stepped into the foyer, looking around with interest. Light appreciated her curiosity even if it was falsehood.

"Thanks," he said kindly.

"Oh, Light. You're home," said Light's mother, coming in from the kitchen. She stopped talking when her eyes found Atsuko. She gave Light a 'new girlfriend?' look.

"Ooh, Light. Hey I need—" said a cheery voice and in came Light's younger sister, Sayu, in her usually bubbly mannerism. She too cut herself off when she saw who he was accompanied by. She also gave Light the 'look'. He felt a surge of frustration, wishing that his family wasn't here for this important event.

"Light, who's this?" asked his mother in polite confusion, giving Atsuko a small smile.

"Oh, I apologize," she said, bowing her head in the direction of Light's sister and mother. "My name is Atsuko Hamasaki."

His mother gave him a look of approval.

"Well, aren't you a sweetie," she said lightly. "Atsuko. What a pretty name."

"Mom, I invited Atsuko for dinner tonight. Do you also mind making us some tea while we study upstairs?"

Sayu's eyes widened slightly.

"You're bringing a _girl _into your room?" she said bluntly with a tone of disbelieving excitement.

Light suppressed groaning out of irritation.

"Of course, Light," said his mother. Her next question was directed at Atsuko. "Do you have anything in particular you wanted for tonight, dear?"

Atsuko smiled. Light was slightly taken aback by the genuine-ness that ensued in it.

"Anything you make is fine with me, Ms. Yagami," she said softly with another bow of the head.

"Oh," his mother giggled. "What a sweetheart you are."

"We'll be upstairs, mom," said Light abruptly, taking Atsuko's hand in his and pulling her slightly in the direction of the stairs. Their eyes met when they made contact. Light looked hastily away.

The eyes of his sister and mother watched them walk upstairs, abandoning all pretense and not bothering to not be conspicuous. Light gave a mental growl of irritation. Was it _that _strange that he had friends that were girls?

"This is my room," Light said, opening the door and leading Atsuko inside. She looked around curiously. Light noticed she immediately looked slightly uncomfortable. She of course would know about the surveillance cameras set up. He also noticed that she looked—slightly guilty.

**L POV**

L dropped his fork on his plate with a loud clatter. He was watched as Seiko took a seat beside Light at his desk. She was looking directly into the camera that was placed on his bookshelf, as if she knew L was watching her. She was wearing a sheepish expression.

She _should _be guilty. He felt like kicking the computer screen. Shouldn't he have _expected _this? When was the last time that Seiko actually did what he asked? And where had it led her? Her life could be in danger at this very moment and that would mean L probably had to do something stupid to save her. Or, was that Light's plan?

God_dammit, _Seiko. L hated himself for the fact that even if he did something that would harm the case and possibly reveal himself and put the whole world in jeopardy, he would still do it to save her.

**Light POV**

Light watched her eyes move from the bookcase to him again with a small smile. It was a smile that wasn't as well-acted as her previous ones. He looked calmly down at their homework just as his mother came in with a tray of tea and cups for them.

"Thank you," said Atsuko kindly.

"No problem, dear," his mother replied happily. He could tell she was already infatuated with Atsuko.

_That's too bad mom_, Light thought snidely. _She isn't going to be around for much longer._

He watched her brown eyes that were a shade darker than his look down in concentration on his paper. He replied casually to her questions and smiled whenever necessary. Then he reached for his cup of tea. Then . . .

"I'm sorry!" said Light hastily, crediting himself for his act of convincing panic. There was a large dark stain appearing on Atsuko's white blouse from the tea that he had just 'accidentally' spilled.

"Oh," said Atsuko, sounding slightly blank. "No problem."

"You can wash yourself off in the bathroom. It's down the hall and to the right," Light instructed. She hesitated. She got up, readjusting her purse on her shoulder.

"You need your purse to clean up a stain?" Light asked in a joking manner, but inside he was growing frustrated. She was being cautious; he wasn't expecting that from her. That meant she was suspicious that he was trying to get something from her, and he couldn't allow that.

She gave a small giggle. "I'd like to, um, freshen up. Makeup," she added at his confused glance.

"Oh," said Light with bland surprise. Dammit. She was smarter than he assumed. Then again, he couldn't just go through her purse while being watched by over sixty-four cameras.

"Nice try," sniggered Ryuk. Light felt a strong twinge of annoyance.

He watched Atsuko leave the bedroom. He decided it best to return to his desk and pretend to study, while really thinking hard on how to discover Atsuko's real name. Of course, he couldn't just kill her immediately when he _did _discover her name. That would look much too suspicious, and with these cameras, L had proof that he had made contact with her.

This was tricky situation. He needed Atsuko dead as soon as possible because he couldn't have her reporting to L anything on him at all, but he couldn't just _kill _her when she left the house. That would practically be a confession that he was Kira.

No, he had to play this safely. And to do that, he had to play Atsuko's own game with her. He had to gain her trust and act as normally as he could. He wouldn't give her _anything _that she could report to L. Still, it will make it immeasurably more difficult. He would have to stay on his toes at all times.

Atsuko returned a few moments later. He noted dimly that she had indeed applied more makeup, but that still wasn't saying much. He knew that she only took her purse to prevent him from doing the exact thing he was planning.

An hour later, Light's mother called them down for dinner. They walked downstairs quietly. Light was surprised to see that his father was home as he so rarely had time to eat with his family nowadays since he was the chief on the Kira case.

"Dad, this is Atsuko," Light said as they all sat down at the dinner table. Was it just him, or had his father's eyes flashed when they landed on Atsuko? But that wouldn't be too surprising. They probably already met and he probably knows that Atsuko knows is investigating him.

"Ah, nice to meet you," he said dismissively. Large black circles sagged under his eyes and his complexion was more pale than usual. Light studied his father steadily as they ate. He must know Atsuko's real name, but it would be too suspicious to ask him, much more so that he would know that it wasn't her real name in the first place.

"So, Atsuko. When did you meet Light?" his mother inquired after a few minutes in silence.

"About a week ago," she answered thoughtfully. "I only joined the high school recently. I just transferred from a girl's boarding school in France."

And to Light's mother's intrigued face, Atsuko began explaining in perfect detail what France and the schools were like. Light was listening closely the entire time. The convincing story of France didn't fool him; anyone could do their homework for an undercover case. But that meant she was a lot more efficient then he had assumed. And—perhaps a lot smarter.

But Light didn't think he was dealing with another 'L'. Atsuko was smart, but in a different way. She worked like a regular detective, not a mad genius.

After dinner, Atsuko mentioned that she should probably be getting home.

"Light, why don't you walk Atsuko to the bus stop?" his mother suggested, much to his annoyance.

"No, that's alright," she said hastily, putting on her shoes as she put her hand on the door handle. "I don't want to take up your time."

"I need to have a word with you," Light whispered in her ear so his family couldn't hear. She glanced at him with a confused glance and perhaps with some—fear? But she smiled and nodded. They walked to the front of the house, Light shutting the front door tightly behind him.

Light now had his plan carefully laid out in front of him. It was so plain that he had to suppress himself from smiling widely.

"Atsuko," he started slowly, scratching the back of his in an awkward manner. She waited patiently, holding her purse in front of her with both hands and studying Light carefully. Their eyes locked. "I think—we should do this again."

She registered him with mild surprise.

"I really enjoyed your company and my family really likes you too," Light continued quietly but still with a small smile on his lips. She continued to study him without talking. She almost looked sad. "I like the fact that you don't act like a lot of girls. It makes talking to you a whole lot more natural."

She actually blushed. He could see that in the dim light of the streetlamp nearby. He was amused by this.

"Oh, um. I would like that," she said at last, her color reddening ever more, avoiding Light's gaze.

Light smiled. "See you Monday, then?"

She nodded, smiling brightly again.

"Definitely. See you."

Light watched her walk off down the sidewalk with one last glance at him over her shoulder. He saw from the distance that she was smiling to herself before disappearing into the shadows.

Light too was now smiling to himself. But it wasn't in the cute, slightly embarrassed way Atsuko was. It was an insane, slightly deranged smile as he laughed quietly under his breath.

What other means did he have to go on? Atsuko was working with L. She was his one link to him and he would use her to get to him. He would gain her trust. And for his plan . . . well, he wouldn't completely waste his good looks and charm.

He would make 'Atsuko Hamasaki' fall in love with him. He would make her love him and then he will destroy her, taking L down with her in the process.


	5. Accepting the Fire

**4**

**Accepting the Fire**

"So . . . you go off to Light Yagami's house when I specifically tell you _not _to, you know I'm watching you and you continue to stay for the rest of the evening, you do nothing but study, you risk your life and our investigation by only solving a few trigonometry problems. Tell me. By disobeying my direct orders what did you learn by your little escapade?"

Seiko met L's blackened, sleepless stare with slightly furrowed brows.

"I'm getting closer to him. That's what you wanted, right?"

He didn't move in the black leather chair he sat in. For once, he didn't seem to have any interest in sweets. To Seiko, this meant L was on a high level of anger even if he didn't let it show on his face. He didn't get angry often and whenever he did it was highly impossible to even tell.

Seiko was getting highly annoyed by this point. Her legs were crossed in front of her and her chin was resting on her hand. How was L expecting to solve this case if he wasn't prepared to take drastic measures? Usually, he did. But when it came to Seiko, L became very touchy and seemed to act more like an overprotecting parent than the world famous detective. Seiko still wasn't sure whether to be grateful or utterly fed up by this piece of information. She just knew she was annoyed.

"Even so," continued L, placing his finger on his lip and studying Seiko with a hardened gaze. "It could have ruined everything if we had to—"

"Save me?" finished Seiko with a snap of high annoyance. She sat up straight and crossed her arms. "Do you really think that if Light really was Kira he would kill me up there in his bedroom?"

"And?" said L slowly, placing his hands on his knees instead. "What are your assumptions? Do you think that Light is Kira?"

Seiko glanced out of the window, her irritated tone dying out slowly.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "He seems a typical high school student."

"You think that means that he is not Kira?"

"I didn't say that."

"Good. If you did, I would have second thoughts about you working on this case."

Seiko whirled her head in his direction. "You're not serious," she said quietly.

He met her eyes. "In the beginning of this case, we swore to each other we would work side by side and accept the consequences that come into terms with us. I need you to be keeping a level head during this case, not casting—moon eyes for Light Yagami."

Seiko stared at him.

"Moon . . . eyes?" she repeated incredulously. And then she was laughing. She was laughing so hard that L actually seemed to be slightly shocked out of his discreet anger.

"Seiko . . ." said L uncertainly. Clutching her stomach, she sat up straight, actually wiping a few tears from her eyes.

"Thank you. I needed a good laugh," she giggled. She met his eyes with a smile, all acidy feelings towards Lawliet draining slightly. "Ryuzaki, I do not have 'moon eyes' for Light Yagami. I don't know what you were observing on the surveillance cameras, but for once your deduction is wrong."

There was a small silence in which they looked at each other, L's slightly confused gaze meeting Seiko's amused one.

"Just give me permission to do this," said Seiko after a while, her tone much more lighter. "I want to solve this case just as much as you do. If I can get closer to Light, then I can really figure out of he's Kira or not. If he isn't, then that wipes him off our suspect list. If he is, well . . ."

L glanced off into the distance, tapping his finger on his lower lip. Of course he wanted to solve the case, that was evident. He met her eyes again and in that instant, Seiko knew she had won.

"You will be on your guard at all times. You will not leave anything around that will reveal your real identity. You must be at the top of your convincing level, meaning that you must get close to him without causing a hint of suspicion."

Seiko was still slightly annoyed by the fact that he was still acting like an overbearing parent, but thought it childish to continue their confrontation. She nodded slowly, arms and legs still crossed.

L studied her for a few more minutes before sipping from his coffee and examining a slip of paper on the table in front of him. Only using his index finger and thumbs, he picked it up from the top like a monkey and Seiko watched his eyes scan down the sheet.

"Criminals continue to die of heart attacks, many of the deaths occurring at the same time we watched Light study in his room." He sipped from his coffee again, grimaced, and then plopped three more sugar cubes in it. "Yet the Yagami family seems too perfect. I still have my suspicions."

"It's been proven that Kira can decide the exact time and place his victim will die, so that doesn't prove a lot," Seiko said distantly, sitting back in her chair and gazing out of the window. L glanced at her.

"True. But we haven't caught anything on tape of Light doing anything out of the ordinary, meaning that you have to keep an even closer watch over him on his actions outside of his home."

Seiko nodded darkly. Their gazes met for a split second but then Seiko looked determinately away. She sighed under her breath and got to her feet, digging her hands deep in her pocket.

"You should get some sleep," L said passively without looking at her. She ran her fingers through her hair, for some reason finding it hard not to look away, and found it even more confusing that she _wanted _to look away.

"I can't," she sighed. "On top of the Kira case, I actually have high school homework to do."

"But that should be a breeze for you," L said, still not meeting her eye. What was this sudden determined avoidance between them?

Seiko shrugged and walked to the door. She paused with her hand on the handle, then glanced at him over her shoulder. He didn't seem to notice her eyes on him since he continued to gaze at the piece of paper in his hands. Seiko released her breath from her nose and left the room.

.

She couldn't help but notice how tall he was or how his brown hair would tousle in front of his caramel grazed eyes or notice how the corners of his mouth would twitch slightly whenever she said something that amused him. Going over to Light's house to study was becoming a general thing for them. But it wasn't just studying.

Light made her laugh and smile. It felt like it was the first time in a while that it was truly genuine. Investigating him was merely becoming a thing that existed in the back of her mind. When she entered Light Yagami's home, she was intent upon spending time with him as Atsuko Hamasaki, not spying on him as Seiko Nakamura.

But she wasn't a complete idiot, though she felt her friendship growing with him. She still understood the situation perfectly. But no matter how many times she considered it, she couldn't see anything wrong with him, much less be a potential criminal murderer.

She began to consider the concept of Light being Kira disconcerting. This wasn't good. She needed to look at the situation professionally. Seiko had been through plenty of cases with L as an undercover agent to look into a suspect, and she had never had any trouble staying in her act without growing any feelings for the opponent, many of them being handsome and charming as well.

But Light . . . what was it about Light that drew her in? Such a dangerous thing. Whenever this idea came across her mind, she either denied it or told herself that she'd be able to push them away.

It was two weeks after meeting Light and they were sitting in his bedroom, supposed to be studying but in reality they were having a good laugh. Seiko herself was beginning to forget the cameras were still hidden throughout his room.

It was only the previous week that they had submitted their college applications in. Seiko, as planned, would get into To-Oh with Light so as to continue her investigation.

"Hey, Seiko," said Light after a while as they finished up their homework.

"Hm?" she said as she made her math sheets neater and placed them in her book bag.

"How do you feel about Italian?"

She looked at him. "Like the people?"

He smiled. "Like the food."

She blinked.

"Why?"

He leaned his head on his hand and looked at her sideways, giving her a crooked smile.

"I'm considering asking you out on a date to an Italian restaurant, but I'm not sure what you'll say. What do you think?"

Seiko felt color rise in her cheeks, and couldn't help realize that his smile widened slightly at the sight of it.

L was undoubtedly watching, waiting for her response. But she had to react how a typical high school girl would to being asked out by a handsome, smart, and charming boy. That was a no brainer.

She found that the smile she gave him didn't have to be acted at all.

"I'd like that," she answered smoothly. He gave her another smile. A smile that sent Seiko's stomach fluttering slightly.

She would pay the consequences of her actions. This, she knew.

* * *

**(A/N: Hey there! Those of you who are reading, thanks for sticking around ^_^ reviews of any kind would be helpful and motivational. If you have any tips/advice, I just want to know how I'm doing. Thanks again!)**


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